Issue

Criminal Justice

It costs $13 million per year to hold each of the 40 prisoners at Guantánamo Bay. Where does the money go? How do police profit from seized property? What is it like to be one of 2.7 million children with a parent in jail or prison? What programs have succeeded in the U.S. and elsewhere to reduce recidivism?

These are a few of the questions Pulitzer Center grantees ask in the stories highlighted in Criminal Justice.

Innovative initiatives include a transformational theater piece based on a three-year investigation into solitary confinement. The play was performed on Alcatrez Island. A photography project features the work of court-involved youth who depict life on the streets of San Francisco. This project provided opportunities for youth to showcase their work while shining light on the criminal justice system in California.

Funding for Carol Rosenberg’s ongoing reporting on Guantánamo Bay comes from the Hewlett Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and other sources. The Art for Justice Fund, established by philanthropist Agnes Gund, is helping to support our reporting on mass incarceration. Omidyar Network has provided financial support for “Taken”—our project on civil asset forfeiture. The Pulitzer Center extends its heartfelt thanks to our generous donors.

Criminal Justice

Race, Reunion, and Redemption

Judy Gladney and her late husband, Eric Vickers, were among the first African Americans to attend their suburban St. Louis high school. As her 50th class reunion approaches, Judy describes their struggle.

A Revolution for Puerto Rico's Afro-Latinos

In the midst of Puerto Rico's political crisis, its black communities fight for justice to address invisible racism, police oppression, gentrification, substandard schools, and economic disparities.

Cops and Robbers

A Baltimore Sun investigation into a rogue squad of police officers who used the authority of the badge to commit crimes—and how they got away with it for so long.

Coming Home Clean

As the so-called American opioid crisis continues, some are finding recovery behind bars. But how do people navigate sustained recovery after incarceration?

Before Ferguson, Beyond Ferguson

Families of color have long been thwarted in finding a quality education. We present the saga of one St. Louis family, how they got educated and managed to gain their purchase on the American Dream.

Civil Asset Forfeiture in St. Louis

Liberal and conservative justices criticize abuses of civil asset forfeiture. Groups from CATO to the ACLU do too. Republicans and Democrats want change, but much of the reform agenda is unfinished.